Check it! - Plants - Year 2

The educational resource from Focus Education provides a structured approach to revisiting and consolidating Year 2 students' knowledge about the healthy growth of plants and trees. It emphasizes the importance of building regular opportunities for children to review what they have learned. This can be achieved through various interactive methods such as a 'Brain dump', where children spill all they know about a topic, or 'Give me FIVE!', which could involve naming five different trees or stating five facts about plants. Other suggested techniques include adding to a 'mind map', expanding on ideas through 'Expand and Elaborate', and using 'Retrieval Pyramids' to assess understanding at different levels.

The resource prompts students to engage with questions that deepen their understanding of botany. For instance, they might be asked to consider why soil is important to trees, what 'deciduous' means, or how one might approximate the age of a tree. These activities encourage students to think critically about the factors that contribute to plant health, such as the necessity of water over wind for growth, and to learn terminology related to plants, such as alternative names for evergreen trees. The 'Pyramid Check' is designed to challenge students at varying levels, ensuring that all pupils can answer the foundational questions, with more complex queries presented as they progress.